lululemon

The Mall at UTC is launching the UTC Fab & Fit Club that will meet for an hour every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. beginning March 26.

Each event will feature a different free workout hosted by one of the mall’s fitness retailers such as Fabletics, SIX:02 and Lululemon.

Each hosting retailer will also offer special in-store discounts to all attendees.

Fabletics will host the first UTC Fab & Fit Club, which will be taught by Willie Thomas from Camp Gladiator.

Attendees of this full-body workout should bring a towel, water bottle and workout or yoga mat. As a special promotion after the exercise session, class attendees that spend $100 or more at Fabletics will receive 20 percent off their purchase.

On UTC Fab & Fit Club days, the center will also offer a special gift with purchases of $200 or more at any of its fitness retailers. Shoppers can redeem the offer at Guest Services near Grand Court.

Workouts will vary by sponsoring retailers. Information for each Sunday class can be found on Facebook.com/MallatUTC.

While walk-ins are welcome, space is limited. Interested participants are encouraged to learn more about each week’s class and RSVP on the Facebook event page or visit mallatutc.com/events.

A new store concept by Bealls, called “Bunulu,” is under development for a 2015 debut, exactly 100 years after the the retail company opened its first store in Bradenton.

Bealls will open a new line of fashion stores under the Bunulu name in Florida this year.

Executives say the brand aims to capture a younger demographic. It will sell activewear and other lines of apparel for young adults inside these smaller footprint stores.

The price point will be higher than at a traditional Bealls department store, but aims to compete with popular more expensive brands like lululemon, a chain of small boutique-like stores that sell a high-end yoga clothing line, or Athleta, the Gap brand of performance line clothing.

“There’s a gap in the market that the new Bealls’ concept could likely fill,” said Jeff Green, retail analyst who is familiar with the Southwest Florida commercial scene. “Bunulu is making quality activewear, which really has become everyday wear to a younger consumer, and offering it at a more accessible price point.”

The new store’s tagline is: “Where style meets performance like water meets the sand.”

Bunulu stores will be small, bright and look like they would fit well in higher-end centers or malls. Bunulu will feature well-known and in-house brands: bathing suits and other coastal-themed apparel for a young professional demographic.

“It’s a new chapter for Bealls and we waited until the 100th year to debut it,” Nagler said.

While there are no official plans for stores just yet, Bealls is in the process of acquiring real estate and wants to open the first Bunulu concepts by the end of this year.

It’s likely that Bunulu will be found in outdoor lifestyle retail centers, similar to the revamp plans for Westfield Group’s Southgate mall in Sarasota, which is currently underway.

Even the shopping experience is expected to be wildly different compared with what’s found at a Bealls department store. There will be no stationary check out cashiers. Instead, employees will be equipped with mobile point-of-sale devices. Bunulu — again with a nod to its younger targeted audience — also is expected to have a strong social media presence.

For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.

A recent site plan — a working document that most mall builders use to organize tenants before an opening — shows that Michigan-based Taubman Centers and Manatee County-based Benderson Development are attracting not only upscale retailers that would be new to Southwest Florida, but also businesses that are willing to shift from downtown venues and other malls in the region for a home in the new retail hub.

Apple: Official retail store of the California phone and tablet maker. First store to open in Florida since 2008. The closest are now Westfield’s Brandon Town Center and the Coconut Point Mall near Fort Myers.

Arhaus Furniture: The company, which began in Ohio in 1986., uses natural hardwoods and stone in its products, like cherry, elm, granite and organic cotton fabrics. It also recycles — by using copper for tabletops and harvesting tree roots to use as chairs. Arhaus has two stores in Florida, in Naples and Palm Beach Gardens. But the retailer is expanding, with a half dozen stores set to open in the U.S. this year, including Sarasota and Jacksonville.

Brooks Brothers: The oldest chain of high-end apparel for men. Based in New York. Brooks Brothers already has a store in downtown Sarasota at Pineapple Square, but the new site will reportedly be double that size. It is unclear how long the downtown store will remain open. The chain operates an outlet store at the Ellenton Premium Outlets.

Crate & Barrel: The Illinois-based brand is known for selling its line of upscale housewares, home accessories and furniture merchandise.

H&M: Swedish international apparel brand known for its discount prices on trendy apparel for young men and women. Operates stores in 43 countries and recently expanded into Florida by opening stores in the Tampa, Orlando and Miami markets. Ranked as the second-largest global clothing retailer and the third largest in the U.S.

Jackie Z Style & Co.: Women and men’s apparel store, which carries brands such as Rieley, Sky, Zachary Prell, Mood of Norway, Trina Turk and Mr. Turk. Dresses can sell for $100-$200 each. Locally owned by Jackie Zumba, which has operated a store on Main Street for the last three years.

Kiehl’s: The company, which began as a single-store pharmacy in New York City in 1851, now has more than 250 retail storefronts worldwide, and sells beauty product lines in high-end department stores and some airports. Kiehl’s was purchased by the L’Oreal Group in 2000. Kiehl’s offers products for both men and women and is known for having a large male clientele base. The company’s products are geared toward a younger demographic.

L’Occitane En Provence: French company makes and sells body, face and home products made from natural ingredients like anti-aging moisturizers and original fragrances for men and women. The company opened its first boutique in France in 1978 and now has more than 2,000 boutiques around the world.The store at the Mall at University Town Center will be L’Occitane’s 17th Florida, including stores in Naples and Tampa. The company operates three outlets in Florida too.

lululemon: High-end yoga and work-out apparel and accessories. Full-line stores in Tampa, Boca Raton, Naples, Orlando, Palm Beach and Miami. Canadian company has operated a showroom in Burns Court for three years — a smaller store with irregular hours. Full-line stores host events and fitness classes regularly.

Lush: United Kingdom-based cosmetic company, will open a 937 square foot store in the Mall at University Town Center. The chain already has a store in Westfield Group’s Brandon Town Center and another in Tampa on West Shore Boulevard. The company makes and sells a variety of handmade product: soaps, shower gels, shampoos and hair conditioners, bath bombs, bubble bars, face masks, and hand and body lotions for a variety of skin types. Lush also says it uses fruit and vegetables, essential oils, honey and beeswax in their products — eschewing animal fats and animal testing.

Mac Cosmetics: Cosmetics chain that sells makeup, hair and other beauty products and services. Has stores nationwide, mostly in malls but also in some retail plazas, including in Westfield Southgate. Also in Boca Raton, Palm Beach, Jacksonville, Brandon, Tampa, Clearwater and others.

OndadeMar: South American swimwear company with stores in Miami and Miami Beach. It has its largest presence in Latin America, including Colombia, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela. OndadeMar also has a store in the Dominican Republic.

Pottery Barn: American-based home furnishings chain under the Williams-Sonoma umbrella. Operates a store inside Westfield Southgate, and in malls in Naples, Tampa and Wesley Chapel. Unclear when or if Pottery Barn will close its Southgate Mall store when it opens the new store.

Williams-Sonoma: High-end home furnishings chain, Operates more than 500 stores in U.S. Parent group oversees Pottery Barn and West Elm, other home furnishings chains. Has stores in Westfield’s Southgate Mall and in Tampa, Orlando, Naples, Miami, Fort Myers, Destin and Boca Raton, among other locations.

Here’s a list of stores that won’t be open in time for the Oct. 16 grand opening: Click here.

Looking for deals? Click here to find out what kind of sales stores will be offering this month.

Cheesecake Factory: Restaurant known for its expansive menu and decadent cheesecake deserts. Operates 165 restaurants attached to malls nationwide. Other Florida locations include International Plaza in Tampa and the Mall at Millenia in Orlando.

Yo! Sushi: An overseas chain of sushi restaurants, known for plates of food being delivered to tables via conveyor belt.

B&B Burger and Beer Joint: A Miami-based burger chain making it’s Southwest Florida debut. The restaurant won’t be open in time for the mall grand opening on Oct. 16. It replaced an earlier concept that reportedly had interest in the mall, Zinburger.